Shloka 14
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति कुलहितोपदेशः | Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Duryodhana on Dynastic Welfare
मया प्लवेन संग्राम तितीर्षन्ति दुरत्ययम् । अपारे पारकामा ये त्यजेयं तानहं कथम्
mayā plavena saṅgrāmaṃ titīrṣanti duratyayam | apāre pārakāmā ye tyajeyaṃ tān ahaṃ katham ||
私を舟として、この渡り難き戦の大海を越えようとする者たち、岸なき危難のただ中で、私を頼みとして彼岸に至らんと願う者たち——この危急の時に、どうして彼らを見捨てられようか。
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Karna frames loyalty as an ethical obligation: when others entrust their survival and success to you, abandoning them in danger is morally indefensible. The verse emphasizes steadfastness and responsibility toward dependents, even amid overwhelming risk.
In Udyoga Parva, as the great war becomes imminent, Karna speaks to justify his unwavering commitment to his side. He portrays the coming conflict as a perilous ocean and himself as the boat on which his companions rely, declaring that he cannot desert them at the critical moment.